chapter 1: investment & project appraisal...chapter 1: investment & project appraisal...

Chapter 1: Investment & Project Appraisal

Ibrahim Sameer – AVID College

Financial Management

Bachelors of Business Administration

Study Notes & Tutorial Questions

Chapter 1: Investment & Project

Appraisal



INTRODUCTION

Capital budgeting is a process where firms plan the investments in long-term assets or activities

that have long-term financial implications. It involves a substantial cash withdrawal and the cash

inflow is for a long period in the future. Just like other decisions making process, capital

budgeting involves the considerations and valuation of available alternatives. Among the

important matters that must be given attention in the valuation process of capital budgeting

projects are the appropriate use of techniques and accurate estimation of cash flow as inputs to

the techniques that will be used.

CAPITAL BUDGETING

Capital budgeting refers to the technique used for analysing whether an investment in an asset or

long-term project is profitable or not profitable. These techniques are often mentioned as the

criteria of capital budgeting. There are four basic techniques in capital budgeting; which are:

Payback period technique

Net present value technique

Internal rate of return technique

PAYBACK PERIOD

The payback period technique involves the use of payback period criteria as the basis in decision

making. The payback period, normally referred with the acronym PBP, is the time period taken

by a project to regain the sum of money invested at the beginning of the project.

Calculation of Payback Period

Examples 6.1 to 6.3 show how the payback period (PBP) is obtained.

Example 6.1

Project A has the following cash flow. What is the PBP of this project?



The negative cash flow of MVR100,000 at year 0 equals the total that was invested, or the cash

outflow as the money has been spent on this project. Observe that in the fourth year, the

cumulative cash inflow is MVR100,000, matching the cash outflow (initial capital) at year 0.

Therefore, the PBP for Project A is 4 years, that is the time where the total sum obtained matches

the total sum withdrawn.

Example 6.2

When PBP is between two different time periods, we can assume that the distribution of cash

flow is uniform. In this situation, we can use the linear interpolation to estimate the PBP for the

project assessed.

The project of purchasing a grinding machine has a cash flow as follows:

Based on the above cash flow, the PBP for this project is found to be within 3 years to 4 years

because to achieve PBP, the cash inflow must be equal to the cash outflow at the beginning of

this project that is MVR200,000. At the third year, the cumulative cash inflow of MVR170,000

is still short of MVR30,000 (MVR200,000 - MVR170,000) to achieve the PBP. By estimating



that the cash flow distribution is uniform, the calculation of PBP for the project of purchasing a

grinding machine is as follows:

Note: MVR30,000 is the remaining balance that need to be recovered.

For projects that generate cash flow in the form of annuity, you can use formula 6.1 to calculate

the PBP.

Example 6.3

Suppose there is a project that involves a cash outflow of MVR700,000 and it is expected to

produce a cash inflow of MVR200,000 every year throughout the lifetime of the project, which

is 5 years. By using formula 6.1, the PBP of this project is:

= MVR700,000/MVR200,000

= 3.5 years

By using the cash flow schedule, we can also obtain the same answer, which is PBP = 3.5 years.

Application of Payback Period



After knowing what is meant by PBP and how it is calculated, the next step is to use this

technique in making decisions, whether to accept or reject a capital budgeting project.

If a comparison is made between two projects with different PBP, the project with the lower PBP

value is better as the company will regain its invested capital faster. Therefore, the company will

have the opportunity to use that cash for other investing purposes. Besides that, a shorter PBP

shows that the period where the company is exposed to investment risks is also shorter.

In deciding whether to accept or reject a project, the company must compare the PBP of the

project with the targeted PBP set by the company. This technique proposed that a project will be

rejected if the PBP of that project is longer than the targeted PBP and vice versa, that is, the

project should be accepted if the PBP of that project is less than the targeted PBP. By referring to

example 6.1, if the company involved had set the targeted PBP for the project at 3 years, the PBP

technique proposed that project A to be rejected as the PBP of project A of 4 years exceeded the

targeted PBP of 3 years.

The criteria for accepting or rejecting a capital budgeting project can be summarised as follows:

Accept project if PBP ≤ targeted PBP

Reject project if PBP > targeted PBP

What is important is to evaluate whether the PBP of the project is less or more than the targeted

PBP. The manager also need not calculate the PBP of the project accurately as it is important to

ensure whether the PBP of the project is higher or lower than the targeted PBP. To evaluate

whether the PBP of the project is higher or lower than the targeted PBP, we only need to

determine whether the cumulative cash inflow of the targeted PBP is higher or lower than the

initial cash outflow.

Example 6.4



Suppose that the targeted PBP for the project in example 6.2 is 4 years. Should the company

purchase the grinding machine?

Solution

The cumulative cash inflow at year 4, which is at the targeted PBP, is MVR240,000. As this total

is more than the initial cash outflow of MVR200,000, therefore it can be concluded that the PBP

of the grinding machine is higher than the targeted PBP. Based on the PBP technique, the

grinding machine should be purchased.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Payback Period

The main advantages of using the PBP technique are as follows:

a) PBP is easy to calculate and understand.

b) PBP uses the cash flows and not accounting profits as the basis of calculation. The use of

cash flow as the basis of calculation is more accurate as it shows the income and cost

involved and also clearly shows the time when the cash flow occurs.

c) The criteria of PBP is an indication of the liquidity for the project. A shorter PBP shows

that the period where the funds are tied to a project is shorter.

d) The criteria of PBP also takes into account the risk of a project. A cash flow that is

distant has higher uncertainties. Therefore, the company should focus on a lower PBP to

reduce risk that may be faced by the company.

However, the PBP technique has two main disadvantages, which are:

(a) PBP Does Not Take into Account the Concept of Time Value of Money

The cumulative cash inflow is obtained by totalling the cash flow at different times without

making any adjustments to the time value of money. An analysis that does not take into account

the time value of money concept, implicitly assumes that the opportunity cost of the funds is 0.



Further explanation on this disadvantage is shown in the following example.

Example 6.5

Referring to the above schedule, both these projects have the same PBP that is in the second

year. This means that both these projects should be given the same priority if PBP is applied.

Based on the concept of time value of money, we know that project A is better than project B

because it produces an extra cash flow of MVR20,000 (MVR60,000 - MVR40,000) in the first

year compared to project B. This extra cash flow can be reinvested to generate returns. As PBP

does not take into account the time value of money, the use of this technique is limited.

Therefore, the finance manager should not merely depend on the PBP technique in making major

investment decisions. However, this disadvantage can be overcome by using a discounted

payback period technique. A discounted payback period technique determines the period that is

required to regain the sum of money invested but the cash inflow is discounted to the present

value before making decision on whether to accept or reject a project.

(b) PBP Does Not Take into Account the Cash Flows After the Payback Period One of the

disadvantages of the PBP technique is that it disregards the cash flow after the payback period.

Thus, long term projects cannot be valued accurately. This disadvantage can be shown in the

example.

Example 6.6



Based on PBP, project A is better than project B because the PBP for project A is shorter than

project B (2 years compared to 4 years). If the targeted PBP is not more than 2 years, the PBP

technique would accept project A and reject project B even though project B generates cash flow

after the targeted PBP. By not taking into account the cash flow after the payback period, the

company may disregard other better and more profitable investments merely because it does not

fulfil the targeted PBP.

NET PRESENT VALUE

Net present value is a technique for making decisions in capital budgeting that is based on the

criteria of net present value, simplified as NPV. It is one of the techniques of discounted cash

flow as it uses the cash flow that has been adjusted for the time value of money.

Calculation of Net Present Value

Net Present Value (NPV) is the difference between the present value of cash inflow with the

present value of cash outflow in a project. As the cash outflow for a capital budgeting project

usually occurs at the beginning of a project, the formula for NPV is stated as follows:

Example 6.7



A project has a cost of capital of 15% and the cash flow is as follows:

Example 6.8

If a project has a cash inflow that is in the form of annuity, the calculation for NPV is easier and

simpler as you can use the present value factor annuity in your calculations.

Suppose a project involves the initial investment cost of MVR 1 million. It is expected to

produce a cash flow of MVR 250,000 per year for 5 years. If the cost of capital for this project is

12%, the NPV for this project is:



Application of Net Present Value

NPV of a project shows the amount of increase or decrease in the value of a firm that is caused

by the investment in the project. NPV that is equivalent to zero shows that the value of the firm

is maintained. A positive NPV will increase the value of the firm while a negative NPV will

decrease the value of the firm.

Based on the explanation above, a project should be accepted if the NPV is positive and should

be rejected if the NPV is negative. Therefore, the project in Example 6.7 should be accepted

while the project in Example 6.8 should be rejected.

The criteria for rejecting/accepting an investment decision based on this technique of net present

value can be summarised as follows:

If the projects that are evaluated are independent projects, accept the projects that have

NPV ≥ 0.

If the projects that are evaluated are mutually exclusive projects, accept the projects that

have the highest NPV and NPV ≥ 0

Advantages and Disadvantages of Net Present Value

The advantages of the NPV technique are as follows:

(a) It uses the cash flow and not accounting profits.

(b) It takes into account the timing of cash flow by using the discounted cash flow or the concept

of time value of money.

(c) It takes into account all the cash flows of the project.



(d) The criteria of NPV is in accordance with the concept of owner’s wealth where, in theory,

NPV of a project represents the explicit measurement of the increase or decrease of a firm’s

value and owner’s wealth. Therefore, the NPV technique is the best technique in the perspective

of financial theory.

Disadvantages of the NPV technique are as follows:

(a) The calculation of NPV is rather complex compared to PBP because it requires an in depth

understanding of the concept and calculation of present value.

(b) The calculation of NPV requires information on the cost of capital for the project that is

sometimes difficult to ascertain.

INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN

This technique uses the criteria known as the internal rate of return as the evaluation basis in

capital budgeting project.

Calculation of Internal Rate of Return

The internal rate of return (IRR) of a project is defined as the rate of discount that equates the

present value of cash inflow with the initial cash flow, or the rate of discount when the NPV is

equal to zero.

It is calculated using the following mathematical equation:

The manual calculation of IRR involves a process of trial and error and linear interpolation.

Example 6.9 shows the calculations involved in using the above equation.

Example 6.9

Two projects have the following cash flows:



Manually, you would have to use the trial and error method, where you would include a discount

rate (k) and see whether NPV is equal to 0 or not. You might have to do this process several

times until you obtain k when NPV is equal to 0 (Whenever possible, you should try until you

obtain a positive number and a negative number). There is a bigger possibility that it would

involve a linear interpolation where the IRR is not a whole number. Calculators and certain

computer packages can be used to help calculate the IRR that is not a whole number.



Application of Internal Rate of Return

IRR is the expected rate of return that will be obtained by a firm if a project is accepted

meanwhile the cost of capital, k, is the required rate of return from the project to maintain its

value. If the IRR of the project is higher than k, then the value of the firm will increase and vice-

versa, the value of the firm will fall when the IRR is lower than k. The value of the firm will not

change if the IRR is equal to k.

In summary, the criteria for acceptance and rejection of a project based on the IRR are as

follows:

If the projects evaluated are independent projects, accept the project that have IRR cost of

capital.

If the projects evaluated are mutually exclusive projects, accept the project with the

highest IRR and between the projects that have at least an IRR equal to the cost of

capital.

Referring to the projects in example 6.9, if the cost of capital is 14%, project A will be accepted

while project B will be rejected.



Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal Rate of Return

After understanding what is IRR and how it is applied, now we will look at the advantages and

disadvantages of IRR.

The advantages of IRR are as follows:

a) Just like the criteria of PBP and NPV, IRR uses the cash flow and not accounting profits

as the basis for calculations.

b) Just like the criteria of NPV, the IRR takes into account the time value of money in its

calculations.

c) In a lot of situations, the IRR technique provides a solution that is parallel with the NPV

technique. The IRR technique is acknowledged to be the best technique in the perspective

of financial theory. This is because when a project has IRR more than k, its NPV is also

more than 0.

If k > IRR, NPV < 0 ; project should be rejected.

If k < IRR, NPV > 0; project should be accepted.

If k = IRR, NPV = 0; project should be accepted.

The disadvantages of IRR are as follows:

a) The calculation of IRR is more complicated compared to NPV.

b) The calculation of IRR requires information on the cost of capital of the project which is

rather difficult to ascertain.

c) Decisions are difficult to make when IRR is multiple, which is a situation where the

solution of the mathematical equation for IRR gives more than one answer. This situation

will be faced in the consideration of projects that are unconventional. Conventional

projects are defined as projects where the cash outflow only happens in the beginning of



the project while in the following years, the project will generate cash inflows. The signal

for this cash flow has the following pattern: - + + + + +. For projects that are

unconventional, the cash outflow can occur in the middle of a series of cash inflows, for

example, projects that have the following cash flow pattern: - + + - + + - + +. The number

of IRR for such projects is the same with the number of the cash flow direction change, in

this example, its number is five.

………………… END………………...



Practice Questions

Question 1

You are considering the following two projects:

Project A

Requires an initial investment of MVR250,000 and this project will generate cash inflow of

MVR100,000 at the end of the second and third year and MVR150,000 at the end of the fourth

year.

Project B

Requires an initial investment of MVR400,000 and this project will produce cash inflow of

MVR125,000 every year for five years.

Based on the PBP technique, should these projects be accepted if the targeted payback period is

3 years?

Question 2

Calculate the payback period for a project that involves the initial cash outflow of MVR1 million

and an annual cash inflow of MVR100,000 for the first five years and MVR200,000 for the next

five years.

Question 3



Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

The opening of a mini market involves a cost of MVR300,000 as the initial capital. It is expected

that the mini market will generate a cash flow of MVR20,000 every year for a period of five

years. At the end of the fifth year, the mini market can be sold to generate a cash flow of

MVR400,000. What is the NPV if the cost of capital is equivalent to 10%?



Question 7

When the cost of capital increases, the NPV of the project will ________________.

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Voltex Company is considering a new project. This project will involve an initial investment of

MVR1,200,000 and will produce MVR600,000 cash flow every year for 3 years. Calculate the

IRR of this project.

A. 14.5%

B. 18.6%

C. 23.4%

D. 20.2%



Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

A project has an initial cash outflow of MVR10,000 that produces a single cash flow of

MVR16,650 in year 1. If the cost of capital is 12%, calculate the:

(a) Payback period

(b) Net present value

(c) Internal rate of return

Question 14

A project has an initial cash outflow of RM10,000 and produces a cash inflow of RM2,146 every

year for the next ten years. If the cost of capital is equal to 12%, calculate the:

(a) Payback period





Question 15

A project has the initial cash outflow of MVR10,000 and produces cash inflow of MVR3,000 at

the end of the first year, MVR5,000 at the end of the second year and MVR7,500 at the end of

the third year. If the cost of capital is equal to 12%, calculate the:

(a) Payback period



Question 16

Bina Company is evaluating two projects of constructing two different luxury apartments in two

towns in the state of Kedah. The initial investment for both projects are equal, that is

MVR160,000. The required rate of return for these projects is 10%. The following is the

estimated annual cash flow for the first 6 years.

Based on the above information, you are required to make an analysis for the decision on capital

budgeting based on these techniques:

(a) Payback period


Question 17

List one advantage and one disadvantage that is unique for each of the following capital

budgeting evaluation techniques:

(a) Payback period





Question 18



Question 19



Question 20



Question 21



Question 22



Question 23



Question 24



Question 25



Question 26



Question 27



Question 28



Question 29



Question 30



Question 31



Question 32



Question 33



Question 34

Question 35



Question 36

Question 37

A firm is considering investing in a project with the following cash flows:

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Net cash

flow ($) 2,000 3,000 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,000 1,000 1,000

The project requires an initial investment of $12,500, and the firm has a required rate of

return of 10 percent. Compute the payback, and net present value, and determine whether the

project should be accepted.

chapter 1: investment & project appraisal...chapter 1: investment & project appraisal...

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